The tragic story of John Merrick, who became a “penny gaff” exhibit for people to gawp at in Victorian Britain is perhaps best known from David Lynch’s 1980 version starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft and John Gielgud.
The classic Oscar winning black and white movie is not the only version of the man born in Leicester in 1862, who overcame being part of a “freak show” to find safety and kindness living out his days in a London hospital.
Frederick Treves was the surgeon who looked after Merrick until he died in 1890 and their relationship was adapted for the stage in 1977 to universal acclaim. Reprisals of the theatre show have featured actors as diverse as David Bowie and Bradley Cooper in the lead role.
It is a film version of this play, rather than the movie that is due to start filming in 2026 and will star Adam Pearson from “A Different Man.”
While John Merrick’s condition was never fully diagnosed it has been posited that he may have had neurofibromatosis or Proteus Syndrome, or perhaps a mixture of both.
Pearson has neurofibromatosis himself, so he will be not only the first disabled actor to play Merrick, he will be in a unique position to perhaps understand and offer insight into the thoughts, dreams and challenges of this tragic but inspirational figure.
This is not gone unnoticed by the actor who has gone on a long complicated journey with the character. From being called “The Elephant Man” as an insult when young, he moved from shunning the association to embracing John Merrick and his bravery in the face of prejudice. He is relishing the chance to play him in a story that examines what it is to be human.
Adam Pearson is an inspirational figure himself, not only as an advocate for the disabled but as a fine actor and his “Elephant Man” will surely be a massive success.